Saving Luke (Oakside Military Heroes #4)

7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Luke

It’s the day after my talk with Lexi and Brooke, and I'm still fuming at Gabbie. So, when she comes to visit, I know we have to talk this out.

"Did you really go to Lexi about Brooke?" I ask the second her butt touches the couch.

Her back goes ramrod straight, her sign that she’s preparing for a confrontation.

"Yes. You came here to heal, not find a fuck buddy," she snaps.

"Damn it, Gabbie. We aren't sleeping together," I growl.

"You expect me to believe that? I saw you two together!"

Well, this isn't a conversation I wanted to have with my little sister.

"Gabbie, stop and think. My legs aren't working right now," I say, hoping she’ll put two and two together.

"You don't need your legs if she does all the work," Gabbie says, some of the fight leaving her and her cheeks turning pink.

"Damn it, I haven't even gotten hard since my accident," I glare at her.

She looks down at her hands in her lap, refusing to make eye contact.

"I wasn't happy when you joined the military, and now, here you are. I won't let anything derail your healing," she says.

" You are derailing my healing. You baby me. Did you notice that Brooke did not step up to push me around at the carnival once? She expects me to do it myself. She expects me to get in and out of the car myself, which I can. If I need help, she's there. Though, she pushes me to do as much on my own as I can. I'm not as helpless as you think I am." Gabbie looks at me, almost in shock. So, to prove my point, I stand from the chair I'm sitting in and move myself to the wheelchair next to it. Then, I wheel myself to the door.

"I love you, Gabbie, and I’ll always be here for you, but Brooke is important to me, too. You messing with her career like you did is unacceptable. I know you had it hard after Mom and Dad died, but I think I've been too easy on you because now you are acting like a spoiled brat. So, I’m thinking it's time for you to go and don't come back, until I call you," I say without looking at her.

"You're kicking me out?" She asks.

"For now. I'm so mad that I don't want to do something I can't take back."

She stands and walks to stand beside me.

"You are all I have left. I can't lose you, too."

"You are not losing me, but after your little stunt, it almost seems like you want to push me away. If you want to keep me in your life, you will not take this any further. Do you understand?" I say in my most authoritative voice that’s a lot like our fathers.

She hesitates for a moment before she nods and walks out.

I sit there and think of my sister and Brooke. Gabbie is family, but if it came down to it, could I walk away from Brooke? The thought of it is too painful, but I know I can't walk away from Gabbie, either.

Needing to talk this out, I head out to the lobby and find Lexi at the front desk.

"Hey, Luke. Is everything okay? Gabbie looked pretty upset," Lexi says.

"Yeah, we just had a talk, and she’s pissed she didn't get her way. I also told her not to come back for a while so we can both cool down."

"Ahhh, sometimes it's best to let things settle," Lexi nods.

"Yeah. Hey, is Easton around by chance?"

"He is. Hang on." She picks up her phone, and her fingers go flying across the screen.

"I found him. He's in the library. Do you know where it is?" She asks.

"Yeah, I remember passing it recently," I say.

She points to my left, "Take this hall, and it’s right next to the PT room."

Going down the hall, I pass the dining room before I get to the library. I haven't been in this room before, but it's amazing. On my right and left, the walls are nothing but floor-to-ceiling bookcases, as is the wall with the door I just came through.

In front of me, most of the wall is glass, with French doors that open to a courtyard shared with the lobby windows. In the center of the room are desks with computers, and along the windows are couches and chairs.

I spot Easton with his wife, Paisley, over there, and he waves when he sees me.

"Hey, man. Everything okay?" He asks.

"Can we go outside? I'd like to talk," I say, not wanting to disturb the people in here.

"Sure. You okay here?" He asks his wife.

"I'm good." She holds up her book.

We walk outside and sit on a bench where he can still see Paisley.

"Paisley was your best friend's sister, right?" I ask, trying to remember some of his story.

"Yeah."

"Was there ever a point where you had to choose between the two?" I ask.

"Ahhh. When her brother found out, it wasn't pretty. He saw it as a betrayal on my end. By that time, I was already in love with her and couldn't walk away from her. So, that’s what I told him. Then I said not to make me choose because if he did, I'd choose her. He wasn't very pleased, but when he saw how happy she was, he came around. Having trouble with your sister?"

"Yeah," I say and go on to tell him about the winter carnival, my sister going to Lexi, and the fight we had just now.

"I think you both need to cool off. Now, she’s afraid of losing you in a whole new way. You are the only family she has left, and I'm willing to bet she had plans of you two living together and being a family. If things with Brooke get serious, those plans go away. At the same time, you are right that she can't keep babying you if you are going to recover. Though, you need to heal in more ways than one to be good for anyone."

He's right. I need to get my life on track to be worthy of anyone, especially Brooke, and to prove to her that I'm worth taking a chance on.

"Channel what you are feeling right now into your recovery. You will be shocked how fast your progress is," Easton says.

It's time to put that to the test.

Luke

All my resolve leaves me when Brooke walks back through the door for the first time in a few days. I had planned to respect her wishes and keep some space between us for now, but the moment her eyes lock with mine, I know that was a fool’s dream.

I need her so much more than I want to admit to myself.

"So, I hear you are up and walking," She says with a forced smile.

"I can walk around the room. I'm still not very steady, but anything outside of that, I'm still in the wheelchair," I say.

"Can I see?" She asks.

This right here.

She wants to see what I can do because she wants to cheer me on. I need this, and I need her. She’s always pushing me to be better, and I know I can do that for her, too. I just need to stop getting in my own way.

She’s standing across the room, leaning on the doorframe, so I stand up and hold onto the furniture along the way instead of using the walker they gave me. I slowly make my way over to her. Once I'm right in front of her, I place my hand on her waist. Her sharp intake of breath is the only sound, though she doesn't say anything.

"Let's go look at Christmas lights tonight after your shift," I say.

I want some time with her. Some time to just be us.

"Luke..." she says.

"My therapist says I need to be in smaller spaces and work on controlling my feelings in them," I say.

I know this is playing a little dirty, but I know she’ll have a hard time saying no to something that will help with my recovery. When she sighs, I know I'm right.

"Okay. I will clear it with Lexi first." That's the best I can hope for. She then helps me work through my PT exercises before heading out. I fill my day with appointments, and during lunch, Brooke comes and finds me. She sits down with me to eat her lunch.

"Lexi cleared it with your doctor, so we are down for Christmas lights tonight, but I am to encourage you to keep the car windows up," she says.

I nod because I knew that would be the case. While I'm dreading that part, I am still looking forward to my time with her.

That evening, once night falls, Brooke helps me out to her car, and we go look at lights.

"My brother has already mapped out some routes because he took the kids out to look at lights the other night. So, I have the scoop on some of the good stops." I can't take my eyes off her tonight. With the way the lights hit her face, she looks so carefree. Even though she’s still in the scrubs she wore to work, she’s the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. When we hit the next traffic light, I lean over and kiss her.

"Luke." She mumbles against my lips, but she kisses me back.

When the light turns green, I pull back, and she has a huge smile on her face. So, at the next traffic light, I do it again. Another traffic light, another kiss. It's the perfect distraction for me that I don’t concentrate on the windows being up, and I'm in a confined space. Between lights, I have my hand on her leg, and I inch closer and closer to her core until I finally brush over it.

"Luke..." she moans.

But this time, when we get to a traffic light, I don't kiss her, but I rub her over her leggings. She leans her head against the headrest and closes her eyes. Then, she lifts her hips, trying to increase the pressure. When the light turns green, I take my hand away, and she lets out a frustrated groan.

At the next light, I trail my hand up her leg and circle her clit. Again, she lifts her hips, trying to get some relief, until the light turns green.

This time, we hit a residential street with a lot of lights, and the traffic is going slow, taking in one house after the other. Brooke keeps looking at me, and I'm looking at her, not paying any attention to the lights.

"Let's go back to your place," I say, and she nods.

In the fifteen minutes it takes us to get across town to her house, it seems like the longest drive in the world. I keep playing with her during each stop, but not letting her fall over the edge.

The moment she pulls into her driveway and puts the car in park, she moves in for a kiss and runs her hand over my cock that has been hard as steel the whole time I've been in the car with her.

"Inside, or we won't ever make it there," I whisper against her lips.

Then, we are unbuckling and making our way inside the house, as fast as we can. Even though I’m still unsteady on my feet, I want to get inside as fast as possible. Dragging her with me to the couch, I pin her down, wasting no time making her come this time. I’ve had her on edge all night, so it doesn’t take but a few strokes of her clit, before she’s digging her nails into my shoulders and screaming my name.

As she catches her breath, I remove my shirt, and her eyes follow my every move. Then, she stands and removes her shirt and pants. I’ve never seen anyone more beautiful. In her panties and bra, her body is luscious with just the right amount of curves and breasts that I can’t wait to see free. She turns, and I’m so entranced watching her walk down the hallway that I don’t even question why she’s walking away.

Before I can question it too long, she has returned with a condom in her hand and a smile on her face. Before she even makes it to the couch, I’ve removed my pants.

I know I should do the gentlemanly thing and tell her we don’t have to do this and that this isn’t what I came here for, but right now, all I can think about is if I don’t get inside her, I’m going to die.

She straddles me on the couch and scoots back just enough to pull my cock out and give it a few strokes, which makes me even harder.

“I love your hands on me, but if you keep doing that, this will be over before it even starts,” I groan.

She only smiles and opens the condom, sliding it on for me. I bite my lip because even that movement feels too good. Then, she stands and removes her panties before straddling me again.

“You sure?” She asks me.

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?”

“I’m more than sure.”

“Me too,” I say and grip her hips as I slowly pull her down on my cock. She’s so wet from all the teasing that it doesn’t take much until she’s fully seated on me, and we both moan.

As she rocks her hips, I let my hands explore her body. Running my hands up her side, enjoying the feel of her smooth skin, I finally get to her bra and push it up, letting her tits spill free.

They are perfect and round. I lean forward, catching one of her raspberry-tipped nipples and sucking it into my mouth. Her breath catches, and she arches her back, giving me easy access. I’m so concentrated on playing with her nipples with my tongue that I’m not prepared for the swivel she does with her hips, and I almost lose it.

But the look on her face tells me she knows exactly what she did. Bringing my hand between us, I start playing with her clit, because there’s no way I’m going without her having an orgasm.

I love how sensitive she is, but all the teasing tonight has put us both on edge. When I feel her pussy start fluttering and gripping my cock, I can’t hold back as I start to come. I couldn’t stop it, even if I tried.

Looking into her eyes and feeling her grip on my cock, is the single most earth-shattering feeling in the world.

This woman is going to break me if I let her.